smidorii
She sits at crowded tables, drinks countless glasses of wine, and convinces herself that he loves her. That's what this city is for, isn't it? Reinvention?
*****
Sixteenth Street is only supposed to be a job for her to afford the bills in the new city she now calls home. What she doesn't expect is to fall head over heels for a man with enough experience - both in the restaurant and in life - to make her forget the real reason she moved to this new city in the first place. Intoxicated by the world of fine dining and men who taste like her new favorite poison, she finds herself lost and in waiting - for him, for the guests, and, most importantly, for herself.
*****
OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2026
-- prompts 28 & 29